Re: [Paddlewise] sea sock

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andreas Hack" <andreas_at_ahack.org>
>
> I bought a Feathercraft K1 a few month ago and am using it
> with it's sea sock which is standard equipment.
>
> Comments from a sea kayaking newbie:
> *  little water in cockpit after wet exit & re-entry.  this
> may also be a function of the internal sponsons which float
> the boat up on its side quite high when righting it.
> *  about 10-20 litres water in hull after 60 minutes of
> bracing practice, 2 wet exits & re-entry, and boat being
> rolled 2 X       [not by me ... yet   :-)   ]

Feathercraft has an aftermarket version of the sea sock that has a neoprene
material where it attaches to the cockpit coaming.  This neoprene hem
pressed against the hem of a neoprene skirt is reported to keep water from
coursing past the sea sock rim into the hull.

> *  have once sat on the kayak behind the cockpit and emptied
> the sock by turning it inside out while it was still
> attached to the cockpit rim.

Yes, I once did that with a Feathercraft double we intentionally capsized.
I was able to do it from the water and little water actually was in the
sock.

> *  haven' t quite found a way yet to feel fully at home with
> my feet on rudder controls=footrest with the sock in
> between.

That could be tricky with the rudder controls but should be okay when the
pedals are fixed.   You might want to try what some people mentioned here
earlier, namely put a piece of hard form at the front end of the sea sock
and let that be your contact with the pedals.  But this won't work with a
rudder, necessarily.

> *  it is important to allow air to get out of the hull when
> you first get into the sock, otherwise it closely hugs your
> legs & feet.  I guess the plus side of this could be that
> this minimises the amount of water getting into the sock,
> but on the other hand it definitely increases chances of
> entanglement.

Yes, that is the tradeoff.  Air pressure inside the hull would definitely
help keep water out.

best,

ralph diaz--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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